Results 10,041-10,060 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, together. The legislative priorities of the Government are set out in the legislative programme published on 29 January. My Department has one item of legislation on the C list, the Statute Law Revision Bill, the purpose of which is to review local and personal and private Acts enacted prior to 6 December 1922. While it is not possible to...

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Since the Government took office on 14 June 2007, 12 Bills have been enacted. To date this year, six Bills have been published. Legislation is regularly listed as a priority in Departments but it can take longer from the time the heads of a Bill are agreed, to drafting and dealing with legal issues that inevitably arise. Some of the Bills go back to Departments a number of times when...

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: As the Deputy recalls, we agreed at Christmas to consult the interested groups and the advice of the Attorney General was also sought. The Minister, Deputy Harney, is still dealing with that issue and hopes to bring forward the proposals after Easter. I have not been dealing with it directly but I know from conversations that it is possible to draft the Bill. There is no difficulty about...

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On Deputy Gilmore's first question, the legislation will be published on Thursday. That will allow us to proceed in setting up the referendum commission and giving it the 90 days it asked for. The election will take place at the very end of May or into mid-June. We did not fix a date.

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I refer to a referendum.

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Ó Caoláin certainly would not want an election.

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The election will take place in June 2012.

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I have always stuck to my word.

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: On the referendum on children's rights, it is clear that the committee's work will not be completed until later this year. The decision has been made that we will deal with it in one aspect, without decoupling the issues. In my view, it will be into 2009 before the referendum takes place. Even if the committee finishes its work in the autumn, to allow for discussions between the parties so...

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I agree with Deputy Barrett on this issue. We have been pressing this matter. There was a consultation process on the Internet before the House considered the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2006. It was a good exercise. I have asked other Departments to do the same thing. Some Departments are very good. My own view is that it is a very good way of teasing out and debating the submissions...

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I agree. We have done that with a number of Bills over the past few years. Some Departments seem a little reluctant to engage in this process. I have been pressing for more Departments to do it. It was of great assistance in the case of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2006. There was a broad process of consultation not just within the Oireachtas, but also within the interested groups....

Legislative Programme. (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I have previously given a detailed account of the number of parliamentary draftspeople. There are issues relating to the main Bills of the year, such as the finance and social welfare Bills, and other key Bills like referendum and immigration Bills. Such legislation ties up parliamentary draftspeople for a considerable number of months each year. When such Bills are given priority, other...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The Minister for Health and Children will be addressing some of these issues tomorrow during Question Time, but the HSE has advised us that colonoscopy scheduling is based on clinical need and that each patient is assessed individually by his general practitioner and referred accordingly. Cases that are classified as urgent are given the next available time slot and patients are usually seen...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I repeat that of course this is urgent, and hugely so for the people concerned — there is no issue about that. In answer to the question on waiting times, those who are classified as urgent get the next available time slot and that works out usually at between two to three days and five weeks, depending on the geographical location. Therefore, they would all be within the period to which...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I repeat it is not an assessment of urgent and non-urgent that I am making. It is one that the relevant consultants are making. Cases are classified as urgent by the general practitioner who refers the person to the consultant. They are making the call as to whether it is urgent, not an administrative person. The urgent cases are given the next available time slot and patients are usually...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: The waiting time for routine investigations will be reduced by making better use of existing capacity, which is what Professor Keane said. He believes there are several ways this can be done and the HSE is working with general practitioners to achieve that. Any patient waiting over three months can be referred, or self refer, to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, as a high proportion are...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: I do not want to be repetitious. The HSE has stated that the colonoscopy schedule is based on clinical need. That is a medical position. Thankfully, politicians in Ireland do not act as clinicians.

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Some 100,000 people work in our medical and health service and they conduct the clinical assessment on each patient and refer accordingly. The Deputy wants to keep talking about the 18-month wait. Let me tell him for the third time that cases classified as urgent get the next available slot, which is between two and three days for the majority of these, and, at the bad end, the wait goes to...

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: That is not the case in Laois. I checked specifically and saw that urgent cases in Laois get their appointment within three days.

Leaders' Questions (4 Mar 2008)

Bertie Ahern: Let us not be silly. Everyone's health issue is not equally serious. Clinicians make the decisions and urgent cases are being dealt with quickly. In response to Deputy Gilmore, Professor Tom Keane said there are many unnecessary follow-up visits which lengthen the waiting list and are not an efficient use of time or resources. He said this time could better be used for initial...